Thread: Razor Steel

The make up of the steel, the way it's heat treated and the grind will all play a part in the quality of the shave. I've shaved with a ZY and when we'll honed do shave OK but quality steel from a company like Henckels is going to win every time.

Originally Posted by johnmrson

The make up of the steel, the way it's heat treated and the grind will all play a part in the quality of the shave. I've shaved with a ZY and when we'll honed do shave OK but quality steel from a company like Henckels is going to win every time.

That was my impression, but I see posts from people who swear their Gold Dollar is as good as anything else. My Friodur shaves nicer than my ZY does, but the grind is a bit uneven and thicker on the ZY.

Not all Gold Dollars are made of stainless either. I've yet to see the quality of the metal called into question, the problem most commonly reported with the carbon steel Gold Dollars is bad geometry/grind quality issues.

Once those are sorted out, to the best of my knowledge a carbon steel Gold Dollar will give a nice shave, and you won't be taking it back to the hones every 10-15 shaves. This is why a contingent of users actually use them as the base for modification, experimentation, and toying around. With a little work, they can* be good. Never a Henkels or Wade & Butcher, but passable.

My understanding is that a ZY razor is stainless, which invariably is going to be softer than carbon. Softer steel makes for something harder to refine to the levels we need for shaving, and of course less edge retention. As a general rule of thumb, I avoid stainless steels whenever possible.

Originally Posted by Marshal

My understanding is that a ZY razor is stainless, which invariably is going to be softer than carbon. Softer steel makes for something harder to refine to the levels we need for shaving, and of course less edge retention. As a general rule of thumb, I avoid stainless steels whenever possible.

The way I understand it hardness is a matter of tempering. The heat treatment determines the hardness regardless of the material, be it HC or SS. Stainless steels are more abrasion resistant than high carbon, which can make them appear to more difficult to hone to a shaving edge. Quality stainless steel razors from the old established companies, or from high end artisans, are right up there with high carbon razors from the same sources. OTOH, you get what you pay for. A $2.00 razor won't be as good as a $100.00 razor out of the box. IMHO.

I am going to ask the dumb question............What is a "ZY"? Probably something I know or should but escapes me right now!

Originally Posted by Michael70

I am going to ask the dumb question............What is a "ZY"? Probably something I know or should but escapes me right now!

If I'm not mistaken it is a very inexpensive razor, along the lines of the gold dollar.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

If I'm not mistaken it is a very inexpensive razor, along the lines of the gold dollar.

You are not mistaken. It is an $8 razor, claims to be 430 steel.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

The way I understand it hardness is a matter of tempering. The heat treatment determines the hardness regardless of the material, be it HC or SS. Stainless steels are more abrasion resistant than high carbon, which can make them appear to more difficult to hone to a shaving edge. Quality stainless steel razors from the old established companies, or from high end artisans, are right up there with high carbon razors from the same sources. OTOH, you get what you pay for. A $2.00 razor won't be as good as a $100.00 razor out of the box. IMHO.

Well, to the best of my knowledge carbon content and tempering (which rearranges the particles on a molecular level) are what dictates hardness of any given steel. In the case of stainless steel, Chromium is added most often to a lower carbon content mild steel. Or so my google-fu indicates, take it for what you will.

Tempering stainless in an attempt to make it behave like carbon steel might work, but getting just enough carbon content to make it behave like a carbon steel in terms of hardness would be a bit of a trick - and that is where the difference lies between cheap/stamped stainless steel razors and artisan crafted razors/those made by established companies come in. It can* be done, and this is why I said 'general rule of thumb.' Not all stainless steel razors are bad, but a manufacturer is not going to go through the trouble of carefully tempering a 440/430 stainless steel blade so it behaves like a carbon steel and put it on the market for under 20 bucks.

High carbon is a horse of a different feather. I would trust a cheap carbon steel razor because that's what high carbon steel is - hard and cheap. I would not trust a cheap stainless blade. A quality handcrafted stainless blade, or one from an established reputable manufacturer are a different thing all together, because they will take the care to treat the blade properly - and the price will reflect that.

Originally Posted by Marshal

Not all stainless steel razors are bad, but a manufacturer is not going to go through the trouble of carefully tempering a 440/430 stainless steel blade so it behaves like a carbon steel and put it on the market for under 20 bucks.

I don't doubt that. I but I'll never experience it first hand. I just wouldn't ever buy a cheaply made razor. Nothing wrong with a cheap razor if you can find a good vintage blade, but this cheaply made current stuff I'll pass on. Different strokes for different folks.

Can't say I blame you there. There's a reason most of mine are vintage, with exception to my Dovo and the Gold Dollar I bought simply to satisfy my own curiosity.